Revelling in the rivalry Parsons, Heyl push each other

April 24, 2006|STEVE WOZNIAK Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- What do you do when you and a good friend are following the same dream, reaching for the same ultimate goal, and yet, only one can get there? When your good friend becomes your great rival and your successes and glories become his heartbreaks? Such is the predicament -- and blessing -- of former Olympic kayakers Brett Heyl and Scott Parsons. On the East Race Waterway Sunday, Heyl bested Parsons for the first time in the U.S. National Team Trials. Last year, he won the U.S. National Championship after Parsons had held the title since 2002. Both had competed in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Greece, where Parsons finished sixth and Heyl 15th. "I think it's a good (rivalry)," said Parsons, who spent his teenage years training on the East Race, a short drive from his northwest Ohio home at the time. "I think it makes us both better. "It's gotten to the point where we know whoever has the best race is going to win." They split the glory this weekend, with Heyl winning Friday and Sunday's splits, and Parsons taking first on Saturday. It's indicative, perhaps, of the determination and competitive fire that can be gained only by performing on the world's biggest stage. "It was everything you'd think it would be," Heyl said of his Olympic experience. "Walking through the tunnel into that stadium with your country's team, there's nothing like it." Parsons' memories are not so glowing. "It was nerve-wracking, just because of how long the selection process lasted," he said, "but it made it just that much sweeter, I guess, to finally get the spot for Athens." Garnering a spot in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing for either man will be much more nerve-wracking. The qualification rules for the Athens Games allowed the United States two spots in the men's kayak competition. But with Beijing, the U.S. will be limited to only one boat -- which will make the pressure a little more intense in 2008, and the rivalry between Parsons and Heyl a little more closely watched until then. "For sure, both of us want to be that boat," said Parsons. "You want to maintain that freindship and also try to be very competitive, because you want that spot. "If we end up second place to that person, it's most likely because the other guy raced better. We're pretty comfortable with that." For his part, Heyl used the confidence gained in Athens and the momentum gained in his wins last year to turn up the friendly rivalry a notch. "I've trained a lot harder," said Heyl, who spent last winter in the warm climes of Australia so he could spend more time in the boat. "Right now, I think I'm paddling the best I ever have." It helped that he may have had, like Parsons, a bit of home-field advantage this weekend. "It's almost like home to me," Heyl said of the East Race. "I won my first major race here when I was 10, and it seems like this is where I've had all my big races." But with the 2008 Olympic Trials, likely headed to a new $28 million Olympic facility being built near Charlotte, N.C., Heyl's and Parsons' next big race in South Bend may not come until the 2016 Olympics, if Chicago should happen to win its proposed bid for that year's games. Is the East Race worthy of something that much bigger? "It's a competition," Heyl said matter-of-factly. "As long as you're still competing against the world's best, the course doesn't matter too much." With their spots on the national team secured by this weekend's event, Heyl and Parsons will continue to compete against the world's best later this year. But for now, they'll compete against this country's best -- each other.